What Happens in Vegas Won’t Stay in Vegas

While on an airplane traveling from JFK to LAX, I turned on CSPAN 2. The topic was Nevada- the history of the state and its culture. I can’t tell you the names of the speakers of the books they wrote, but what I can say is the main theme. Nevada, in particular Las Vegas, is a state defined by luck. From the gold mines to the Vegas Casinos, people travel there to try and make it big. For this reason, I could not think of a better place to hold the fifth GOP debate.

It is hard to believe this this will be the last debate with the ten top candidates on stage before the primary season begins. This election cycle has easily been one of the most entertaining and tumultuous cycles in recent history. With total political outsiders (Trump and Carson) taking center stage, the main theme for this cycle has been to expect the unexpected. Political analysts thought this would be an easy Bush Clinton deja vu election, while others thought maybe Rand Paul could take his father’s supporters and really make a jab with the Libertarian movement. No one expected Fiorina to run, and most people had to continuously be reminded who she even was, which changed after a few firey debate responses, where she showed she was a true contender. Then you have Senator Ted Cruz, another person only known for shutting down the government in DC. Now, in Iowa, in some polls he has taken the lead, and has Rush Limbaugh on his side to make a real impact in key states with key voter groups. You have Marco Rubio, the standout in the past two debates, but too moderate for the extreme parts of the GOP, who are crucial in the primary process. While CNN pins him as the one to beat Clinton, Tea Party members pin him as a RINO, standing for “Republican in Name Only.” Don’t forget about Governor Kasich, who makes some solid points, but unfortunately, many find forgettable. While he is a popular governor in a very important purple state, he has not been able to move to he covered middle part of the stage. We have Governor Chris Christie, who is probably kicking himself for not taking Romney’s offer to run as his VP. It seems like this politician had his 15 seconds of fame, and could not pick himself up after falling from the Time Magazine cover, to the guy whose office was responsible for even more traffic on the George Washington Bridge than usual. We have Govenor Huckabee, who looks like the most honest and nicest guy on stage, but seems like he cannot break from his usual support group, and therefore has been booted to the JV debate.

As every politician who will stand on stage tonight shows, politics is just as big as a gamble as the slot machines on the strip. Each guy and the one girl standing on stage tonight all believe that they have every reason and every ability to sit in the Oval Office and the most powerful desk in the world. Each person pulled the slot lever, and are waiting for the numbers to fall in their favor. This election cycle has also shown that you just never know what will happen in the polls, and on Election Day. No one would have believed Trump and Cruz would be in first and second place, and even with these numbers, there is still a very big chance that the person who ends up with the nomination is completely unexpected.

This last debate could not be in a better state than Nevada. Like the people on CSPAN said, it’s a state defined by luck. And luck could not be a more important factor in this primary season.